


Midnight

by FeatheredKit



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Fluff, M/M, Mostly Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 13:29:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8802742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeatheredKit/pseuds/FeatheredKit
Summary: A tender moment is shared.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Love is Stupid](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6014410) by [FeatheredKit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeatheredKit/pseuds/FeatheredKit). 



> So this is a short little thing set in my LiS universe. It's canon-compliant with the fic itself, but there aren't any spoilers or anything so this can be read separately.
> 
> To be honest, there are _two_ reasons why I wrote this instead of working on LiS:  
>  1) The next chapter is slow going. And I mean _slow._  
>  2) I'm experimenting with a different writing style.
> 
> I'm trying my best, okay?
> 
>  
> 
> But, anyway, this was edited by a friend of mine and, quite honestly, I don't blame him for any mistakes that might be in this. I did some fucking around after he read through this, so YEAH. I hope you enjoy it regardless.
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://featheredkit.tumblr.com)

Dipper was woken up to the spine-tingling sensation of cold fingers brushing lightly against his forehead, causing a deep shiver to run up his spine. His eyes fluttered open very slowly, almost cautiously, and a sigh passed through his nostrils. He didn’t need to be wide awake (or even mildly awake) in order to know it was probably sometime in the middle of the night.

It took his eyes a moment or so to adjust to the dark, but once they did, he was able to register the slim silhouette of his roommate, visible only due to the tiniest bit of light seeping in through the window on the far side of the room, moving to lie down in the bed next to him. He silently allowed him to do so, keeping his eyes mostly closed to make sure the blond didn't know he was awake.

After the time it took for the mattress to adjust to the added weight, Dipper felt a hand on his head again, this time running through his hair, making the messy curls even messier. Unwillingly, he leaned into the touch. It stayed this way, in this blissful sort of calm, until he felt his eyes start to grow heavy, and he fell back asleep despite himself.

When he woke up a second time it was still sometime at night. His brain felt foggy, and - what he came to notice after a few seconds of trying to form a coherent thought - the spot next to him in the bed was now empty, abandoned. The sheet, based on its look, seemed to have been discarded rather hastily, like his roommate had been in a rush to leave.

Dipper tiredly rolled over onto the empty side, rubbing the crust out of his eyes, jaw outstretched in a hearty yawn. Then he used his elbows to push himself up into a sitting position, wondering where Bill could have gone as he cast a sideways glance at the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand next to the bed.

About four in the morning, a little bit after.

Despite how his joints ached as he moved, Dipper forced himself to get out of bed, his feet digging into the soft, deep carpet, the cozy thread sinking in between his freezing toes, bringing them temporary warmth.

He let out a deep breath through his nose, then wrapped his arms around himself in semi-tight hug and began to head across the room in a sleepy daze, not sure it was going to be able to accomplish much of anything, really - there was a chance Bill wasn’t even in the room anymore. A good chance, too, considering his roommate was usually busy with stupid frat parties, whether they be in the middle of the day or the middle of the night.

He called his roommate’s name once, twice, then a third time for good measure, but was met without a response. He began to walk towards the kitchen. “Hey, Bill, are you there?”

As he entered the kitchen, the soft carpet  that lined the ground was replaced with cold, hard tiles, causing him to shudder involuntarily, and he squinted against the darkness in search of his roommate.

When he noticed the familiar silhouette of Bill that he’d seen earlier, he released a relieved sigh, one he didn’t even know he had been holding in the first place.

“Hey, Bill,” he said, letting his arms drop down to his sides at last. “How’s it going?” he asked, and chuckled nervously.

Bill spun around to face him and their gazes locked, brown on gold, and exchange that seemed to last forever, even though it was really only a few seconds.

Then Bill grinned. “Hey, kid! Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

Bill laughed. “I don’t _need_ sleep,” he replied, puffing out his chest. “Didn’t ya know I’m _invincible.”_

Dipper attempted to return Bill’s bold confidence with a grin of his own. “Oh, I’m sure you won’t be saying all that tomorrow.” He paused then, reconsidering his words. “Or...today? In a few hours,” he corrected, namely to himself.

Bill leaned forward slightly, grin ever present and his eyes practically glowing in the dark - or was that just Dipper’s imagination? “And _I’m_ certain that six consecutive cups of coffee will say otherwise!” He laughed again. “Yeesh, kid, you need to stop acting so paranoid. Keep it up, and I’m gonna start thinkin’ that you actually _care_ about me.”

“Well, uh…” Dipper looked down at his feet, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

Bill trademark confidence faltered, if only for a second. “Huh,” he said, and his lips twitched. But his grin came back in an instant. “Isn’t that adorable?”

Dipper lifted his eyes. “I...I guess so?” He wasn’t sure how to react around Bill’s charisma.

“You’re pouting.”

“S-shut up. _Whatever,_ forget it.” Dipper took a deep breath. “I’m...I’m going back to sleep. There’s a biology exam tomorrow and I need rest to pass it, anyway.” He turned to leave, and was almost out of the kitchen when a hand fell on his shoulder, stopping him, and his ears were filled with the sound of Bill’s laughter for the third time that night.

“No, don’t go, kid! C’mon, don’t be like that,” Bill chuckled, placing his other hand on Dipper’s free shoulder and turning him so they were face to face. “I’m only kiddin’ around, there’s no need to be a priss about it.” He pinched Dipper’s cheek. “You need to lighten up a bit.”

Dipper slapped Bill’s hands away and rubbed the spot on his cheek that had been pinched. “Okay, okay, I will,” he mumbled, and sighed. “But you need to go to sleep, too. Coffee or not, you’re eventually going to crash.” Then Bill’s hand was on his cheek again, this time stroking it gently, and he didn’t protest. If he did, Bill wouldn’t back off.

Because Bill never, _ever_ listened to him - but, if that was the case, if that’s how it _always_ was, why was he _always_ so persistent on trying to help Bill get his act together?

But, despite the norm, this time, just this once, Bill complied, nodding. _“Fine._ I’ll sleep if _you_ want me to. But don't get the wrong idea.”

Dipper snorted. “Why would I ever?” he replied, but he doubted his own words. Especially when Bill's hands - Bill's ice cold hands - moved downwards and proceeded to rub his arms, moving in fluent up, down strokes. It made the hairs of Dipper's arms stand on end, but somehow he didn't mind it too much. He was sure he would never gain the courage to say it aloud, but he was actually...enjoying the attention.

And, no, not the bad kind of attention, not the times when they would argue and when Bill would act like he hated him. It was the _special_ kind of attention, the positive kind, the kind of moments much like these. The moment when Dipper felt as if he and Bill were growing closer. As much as he hated to admit it, he _wanted_ to be closer to Bill. As close as possible.

His heart fluttered in response to the administration his arms were receiving, and he dared to lean up on his tip-toes, pressing his forehead to Bill's. As he did this, he wondered - not for the first time - what it was like to be half of a committed relationship, what it was like to be married. What it was like to love and to be loved, and what it was like to feel someone's hands on his skin in a way that was intimate. Then his mind wandered to Bill, and he wondered what _his_ hands would feel like on his skin in _that_ way.

But he refused to let Bill see all that in his eyes, so he let them slide shut and remained quiet, drinking in the moment, allowing the only sounds to exist being that of their breathing and the erratic beat of his heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos would be _very_ appreciated, and thanks for reading!


End file.
